Rolling mill



J. R. GEORGE ET AL Sept. 8, 1925.

ROLLING MI 1.1L

Filed March 1'7.

]9?1 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1921 s 'Shee'ts-Sheet 2 J. R. GEORGE ET AL ROLLING MILL Filed March 1'7,

Sept. 8, 1925.

Sept'S, 1925. 1,553,230

' J. R. GEORGE ET AL ROLLING MILL Filed March 17. 1921 '3 Sheets-Sheet 3 a a Q 1 7::

l I N I n w a A i :7. R EK.

Q I '0 "I Q q: I: \Q s Q Q w .Inuenfir-r Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES JEROME B. GEORGE AND JOHN SHEPERDSON, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROLLING MILL.

Application filed larch 17, 1921. Serial No. 453,013.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JEROME R. Gnonen and Join W. SHEPERDSON', both citizens of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Rolling Mill, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present iIIVBIltIOIL relates to rolling mills, and in particular to apparatus of the type used in an edging mill, and involving the provision of sets of coo erating rolls having their axes vertical, an movable toward and away from each other by adjustment of their respective housings. Such an apparatus is shown and described in United States Letters Patent to Edwards, No. 1,041,757, dated October 22, 1912, wherein a pair of vertical rolls are adapted to be drlven in unison, by bevel gearing, from a common horizontal driving shaft.

The present invention contemplates certain improvements in the type of apparatus shown in the aforesaid Edwards patent, with reference especially to the mounting and driving of the rolls, inrsuch a manner as to relieve excessive strain and pressure on the'roll bearings, and to allow the use of speed reduction gearing between the rolls and their common driving shaft; the invention also contemplates improvements in the method of securing the adjustment of the roll housings, in such a manner as to equalize the movements thereof, with relation to the center line of the pass between the rolls. Other and further objects will be ap parent as the description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view, partially in section, of ,apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view, partially in section and partially in side elevation, of the same apparatus.

ating grooved rolls 5 and 6. Each of the rolls 5, 6 has its neck portions 7, 8 suitably journalled in lower and upper bearing boxes 9 and 10 respectively, sald boxes being retained in the recesses of the housings in any suitable manner, as by straps 11 held by bolts 12 and seating in grooves 13 and 14 of said boxes. Each lower bearing box 9 is supported on a shelf or partition 9 that constitutes the bottom of the associated recess 3 or 4, said partition serving to isolate a space 30 in the housing, for a purpose hereinafter described.

As in the construction described in the aforesaid Edwards patent, the cooperating rolls 5 and 6 are adapted to be driven from a common horizontal driving shaft 31 which passes through both housings 1 and 2 below said rolls. In the construction of the aforesaid Edwards patent, each roll neck is extended downwardly and has a direct bevel gear connection with the common driving shaft; due to the operation of the rolls with their axes in close proximity, this construction prohibits the use of large bevel gears on the roll necks, such as would be required in effecting any appreciable speed reduction from the driving shaft to the rolls; this construction also makes diflicult the exclusion of water and scale from the gearing and shaft bearings.

According to the present invention, the above difficulties are overcome by the provision in each housing of a countershaft 22 that is suitably journalled in a vertical opening 21 of the housing, disposed rearwardly of the recess 3 or 4 thereof. Each countershaft 22 has secured to its lower end a bevel gear 27, the hub 28 of which is surrounded y a suitable bearing 29 provided by the roll housing. The bevel gear 27 occupies, as shown in Fig. 2, the space 30 of the housing, and is thus wholly isolated and protected from contact with any water or scale from the roll pass immediately above. The construction permits the bevel gear 27 to extend laterally beneath its associated roll, allowing a gear of large size to be used, and thus if desired, a speed reduction with the driving bevel pinion 32 on shaft 31. Said bevel pinion 32 is carried on a squared portion 33 of shaft 31, for rotation in unison with said shaft and for longitudinal movement thereof, as hereinafter described; the hub of pinion 32 is jcurnalled in a suitable ing as the latter is shifted relative to the shaft 31.

The rotation of each countershaft 22 is imparted to its associated roll 5 or 6 by means of suitable spur gearing; as here shown, this spur gearing 1s so arranged as to be inaccessible to an water, dirt and scale from the rolls 5 an 6; this is done by placing said gearing entirely above the pass formed by the rolls, the upper roll neck 8 of each roll 5, 6 having an extension 8' to which is secured a gear 16, said gear 16 meshing with a gear 23 on the upper end of the associated countershaft 22. An extension 15 of bearing box 10 constitutes an inclosure for the gear 16, the same being covered by a suitable cap 19 which, with the cap 26 over the gear.23, provides for the introduction and retention of lubricant for said gears.

As shown in Fig. 3, each housing 1 and 2 has a bottom plate 36 held by bolts 37, said plate completing the inclosure of the space 30 that contains the bevel gears 27 and 32.

The plate 36, on its bottom surface, provides parallel longitudinal grooves 39 for the reception of guide rails 40 of the base or supporting member 41, said rails being engaged underneath by sultable inwardly projecting members 42 of the plate 36. For the movement of the housings 1 and 2 along the guide rails 40, a screw shaft 45 is provided, the latter having oppositely threaded ortions 46 and 47, one engaging with a ushin 44 that is carried by an extension 43 of t e housing 1, and the other engaging with a bushing 48 that is carried by a slidable head 49, adapted to travel in a suitable ide provided by a stationary pedestal 50.

e outer end of shaft 45 is journalled in a bearing 51 provided by pedestal 50, and carries a gear 52 that meshes with a gear 53 on the shaft of a motor or other prime mover 54.

The rotation of the screw shaft 45 causes simultaneous movement of the housing 1 and the head 49, either towards each other or away from each other as desired, depending on the direction of rotation. The movement of the head 49 is transmitted directly to the other housing 2 by means of parallel bars 56, here shown as four in number, which are received in open slots 55, 55 provided by the head 49 and by a transverse member 59 that is attached to the rear side of housing 2. Wedges 60 and 61 are drawn into slots of the bars 56, to hold said bars rigid both with the head 49- and the housing 2. When the screw shaft 45 is rotated, the housings 1 and 2 will be moved simultaneously toward or away from each other, to

vary the width of the pass provided by the rolls 5 and 6, the movement of each roll always bearing the same relation as that of the other roll to the center line of the pass, i. e., the line which bisects the space between the rolls 5 and.6. The fact that the axis of the shaft 45 lies in the horizontal plane of the pass between the rolls, and the fact that the bars 56 are arranged symmet rically about the axis of shaft 45, results in the thrust of said shaft being exerted on the housings 1 and 2 always substantially in the plane of the pass.

The construction above described affords easy access to the rolls for purposes of replacement or repair, each roll with its bearings being removable as a unit from its recess in the housing without in any Way disturbing the bevel gearing that transmits the rotation of shaft 31 to the rolls. In operation, the side strains on the roll bearings are greatly relieved, because the drive of shaft 31 is not transmitted by bevel gearing direct to the roll necks. The arrangement of bevel gearing enables a sufiicient speed reduction to be obtained and the disposition of the spur gearing above the rolls effectually precludes the accessof water, dirt and scale thereto. Moreover, the extension of the upper roll neck bearing forms an inclosing lubricant chamber for the spur gear, as previously pointed out, and the attachment of the cover or cap 19, by means of bolt 20, to the housing, serves effectually to hold the bearing and roll rigidly in place, preventing any tendency of the latter to move upwardly, when in operation.

The construction employed for attaching the outer housing 2 to the crosshead 49 is especially desirable, in that the four bars 56 are arranged two above and two below the roll pass, in substantially the same horizontal planes with the upper and lower neck bearings. The slots 55 which receive said bars 56 being open, any undue strains arising during operation can be quickly relieved, simply by knocking said bars free of said slots.

We claim,

1. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of cooperating vertical rolls, countershafts geared at their upper ends to said rolls and parallel thereto, with the axes of said rolls and countershafts in a common vertical plane, and a drivin shaft extending below said rolls, having evel gear connections with each of said countershafts at their lower ends, with its axis contained in said common vertical plane.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a roll and its housing, of a bearing in said housing for said roll, drivin means for said roll, an extension provi ed by said bearing and forming a lubricant retention chamber for said driving means, a cover for said chamber, and means operable through said cover for holding said roll and bearing in said housing.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a roll and its housing, of a bearing in said housing for said roll, said bearing providing an extension to retain lubricant, and a cover for said extension, adapted, by its attachment to said housing, to hold down said bearing and said roll.

4. In a rolling mill, the combination with a track, a pair of roll housings slidable along said track and carrying cooperating edging rolls, of a screw shaft connected to one of said housings and having its axis passing through the plane of the pass between said rolls and adapted by its rotation to cause relative movement between said housings by a thrust exerted in the plane of the pass between said rolls.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with cooperating oppositely movable roll housings, of a plurality of members by which movement is imparted to one of said housings, said members being arranged above and below the roll pass between said housings, and a screw shaft for operating said members having its axis in the plane of the roll pass.

6. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with cooperating oppositely movable roll housings, of a plurality of members by which movement is imparted to one of said housings, said members being received and held in open slots provided by said housing, whereby to facihtate disconnection of same from said housing.

7. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of cooperating vertical rolls, independent housings for the rotative support of each of said rolls, a countershaft in each housing,

parallel to its associated roll and geared thereto for driving the same, a common driving shaft extending below said roll housings and having bevel gear connections'with each of said countershafts at its lower end, and means provided by each housing to isolate the associated bevel gear connection from its roll, whereby to prevent the access of water or scale to said gearing.

8. In apparatus of the class described, a pair of cooperating vertical rolls, independent housings for the rotative support of each of said rolls, a countershaft in each housing, parallel to its associated roll I and geared thereto for driving the same, a common driving shaft extending below said roll housingsand having bevel gear connections with each of said countershafts at its lower end, and means provided by each housing to form a lubricant retention chamber surrounding the associated bevel gear connection. L

9. In, apparatus of the class described, a pair of cooperating vertical rolls, independent housings for the rotative support of each of said rolls, a countershaft in each housing, parallel to its associated roll and geared thereto for driving the same, a common driving shaft extending below said roll housings and having bevel gear connections with each of said countershafts at its lower end, and means provided by each housing to forum a lubricant retention chamber surrounding the associated bevel gear connection, said chamber having an unbroken surface below the passage therethrough of said common driving shaft.

Dated this'eleventh day of March, 1921.

JEROME R. GEORGE. JOHN W. SHEPERDSON. 

